Instagram API Bug Allowed Hackers Access To Personal Information

If you have been following celebrity news, you might have heard that singer Selena Gomez’s Instagram was hacked and where nude photos of her ex Justin Bieber were posted online. Instagram has since confirmed the hack and has also acknowledged that it was due to a bug with the Instagram API that allowed hackers access in the first place.

In a statement made by the company, “We recently discovered that one or more individuals obtained unlawful access to a number of high-profile Instagram users’ contact information — specifically email address and phone number — by exploiting a bug in an Instagram API. No account passwords were exposed. We fixed the bug swiftly and are running a thorough investigation.”

Instagram also claims that they have since notified all verified account holders of a possible leak of their contact information, and are also asking users to be cautious if they have received any unrecognized phone calls, text messages, or emails, which presumably could also be used in phishing scams.

Instagram has since declined to specify which users have been targeted by the hack, but if you are noticing any weird postings by people you follow, this could be why (although there are no guarantees), and do keep an eye out for any suspicious activity if you are an avid Instagram user.